The ultimate indulgent veggie weekend brunch
Anna Barnett's recipe for Truffled French toast with poached egg, confit artichoke & miso aubergine
This one isn’t a quick brunch fix but it's one well worth investing time in. Get prepped well in advance and this will be a feast worth every moment spent in the kitchen.
Truffled French toast topped with rich truffle hollandaise, poached egg, charred confit artichoke hearts and blackened miso and sesame baby aubergines. Delicious!
Confit artichoke hearts | Feeds: 4-6 | Preparation time: 30 minutes | Cooking time : 1hr
ingredients:
15 baby artichokes – trimmed and left whole - kept in water with lemon juice
1.5 litres of olive oil
Small bunch of thyme
1 tbsp black peppercorns left whole
Generous sprinkle of salt
3 fresh bay leaves
Whole bulb of garlic - peeled
Zest of half a lemon - left in large strips
Method:
Pat dry the artichokes before adding them along with all other ingredients to the oil and cook over a medium heat for an hour or until the artichokes are soft but not overcooked | Allow to cool and store in oil until ready to use.
Char whole or halved artichoke hearts on a hot griddle and serve with finely grated truffle, lemons zest and freshly ground black pepper.
Miso & sesame baby aubergine | Feeds: 4 | Preparation time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
8 small/baby aubergines
4 tbsp of white miso paste
Several generous glugs of mirin
Squeeze of honey
Small glug of soy
Garnish:
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Several turns of black pepper
Several sprigs of parsley – finely chopped
Drizzle of rapeseed oil
Sprinkle of sea salt flakes
method:
Begin by heating a griddle until almost smoking | then place on the aubergines allowing to blacken on one side for about 3-4 minutes before turning and repeating on the other side | Once blackened and soft, slice down the middle | Combine the miso paste, mirin, honey and soy and spoon over aubergines then place under the grill at 200 degrees Celsius for 3-5 minutes | Serve with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and a sprinkle of parsley | Drizzle with a little rapeseed oil, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve
Truffled hollandaise sauce
Ingredients:
400g unsalted butter – clarified
4 free range egg yolks (Clarence Court)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Generous pinch of sea salt flakes
Several turns of freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp finely grated black truffle/ drizzle of truffle oil
method:
Start by separating the eggs Place the yolks into a separate bowl | Melt 200g of unsalted butter in a small pan and once melted separate the milk solids, keeping just the clear clarified butter | Put the bowl of egg yolks over a pan of gently simmering water. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and two tbsp of mustard | Whisk together thoroughly
Gradually add small splashes of butter to the bowl with the yolks, whisking well between each addition and continue until all butter is used
French toast and poached egg | Feeds: 4 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 eggs – Clarence Court Cotswold eggs (for extra richness of colour)
Generous splash of full fat milk
1 heaped tbsp of plain flour
Generous drizzle of truffle oil
Sprinkle of sea salt flakes
Several turns of freshly ground black pepper
Tiger loaf – thickly cut on a slight diagonal
Olive oil/rapeseed oil for frying
4 eggs – Clarence Court Cotswold eggs (for extra richness of colour)
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well | Next soak the bread for 3-4 minutes on both sides in the mixture | Heat a frying pan with a generous glug of oil and fry over a medium heat until golden on both sides ensuring that you cook it for long enough that it’s cooked through | Your French toast can be fried just before serving
Tip: Keep an ice cube readily available at this stage. If you can see that the mixture is starting to split, drop in the ice cube and whisk it in. This can save the hollandaise sauce!
Once all the butter is incorporated you should have a smooth, thickened sauce | Loosen the mixture with some white wine vinegar if needed and added seasoning to taste along with your grated truffle Adding a splash of truffle oil works too
For the poached eggs first bring a pan of water to the boil and add a splash of vinegar | Swirl the water with a spoon before gently cracking the eggs one at a time into the boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes as preferred
To plate up first place your French toast in the centre of your plate and top with a poached egg | Drizzle a generous helping of truffled hollandaise sauce and serve with both the griDDLEd miso aubergines and confit artichoke for a truly decadent brunch